A skilled artist looks at his environment in a very specific way, analyzing it for things a layman often misses. It's as if you were to break past the humdrum things you take for granted and "sort of see" on the way home from work and really notice new things, putting interest and curiousity and comparison into the action of looking.
Try this: take a walk but do it in a brand new way: Keep on reminding yourself to notice new things. Don't just move your feet with eyes downcast or neck stiff. Look around you. That garden next door, are there weeds in it? New buds? Bring in other senses too. What are the smells of the neighborhood? Is the breeze going? What do you hear far away? Take a long-distance look as far away from you as you can see. Eventually you will feel much better, more refreshed, renewed.
This effect of seeing things anew comes to you every time you take the trouble to really LOOK. Observing details that you would ordinarily miss, noticing differences and similarities in shape, distance, relative size, color, shading, movement is quite an intense experience. Eventually, you begin to pick up moods and emotions in your environment. These are all skills that enable you to create excellent drawings and more importantly, a richer life!
